You receive a phone call or text message on your iPhone while you're behind the wheel. You know you shouldn't respond, but sometimes the temptation is strong.

With iOS 11, you can enable a special mode called Do Not Disturb While Driving to prevent incoming phone calls, text messages, and notifications from distracting you. With this mode activated, your iPhone can sense when you're in a moving vehicle and stop any notifications in their tracks. A phone call goes straight to voice mail while a text can trigger a message telling the texter that you're busy driving.

Customization options include enabling it only when your phone is connected to your car's Bluetooth, receiving calls from a select few, allowing people to break in during an emergency, and setting up custom replies.

1
Activate

To start, open Settings > Do Not Disturb. Swipe down to the section for Do Not Disturb While Driving. Tap on the "Learn more" link under the entry for Activate to read the details on Do Not Disturb While Driving. Tap Done and then tap on the entry for Activate.

2
When to Connect

Here you can choose from among three options: Automatically, When Connected to Car Bluetooth, or Manually. Automatically activates the feature only if your car is detected in motion. When Connected to Car Bluetooth activates the feature anytime your phone is connected to Bluetooth in your car. Manually turns it on until you turn it off.

3
Manually Turn on DND While Driving

You manually turn on Do Not Disturb While Driving by adding and activating a control for it to your iPhone's Control Center. To do this, go to Settings > Control Center. Tap on the entry to Customize Controls. Tap on the green plus sign for Do Not Disturb While Driving, which adds it to Control Center list up top (tap the red minus sign to remove it).

Bring up Control Center by swiping from the bottom of your screen and tap on the car icon. The button turns on and a message appears telling you that "You will not receive notifications while you are driving."

4
Turn Off or Ask Siri

Do Not Disturb While Driving also tries to prevent you from accessing your phone in certain ways. When your iPhone goes into Lock mode after you've enabled Do Not Disturb While Driving and you try to get past the Lock screen, your phone gives you two options: Cancel or "I'm Not Driving." Tapping Cancel keeps you at the Lock Screen; tapping "I'm Not Driving" unlocks your phone and turns off Do Not Disturb While Driving.

Of course, it's in your best interest to leave it enabled if you are driving. Keep in mind that you can still talk to Siri while in Do Not Disturb While Driving mode. Ask the voice assistant to call or text someone or perform any other command in her repertoire.

If you're a passenger in the car with Do Not Disturb While Driving mode automatically enabled, you can tap the screen and choose the option for "I'm Not Driving" to use your phone.

5
Calls and Texts

Now, if someone tries to call you with Do Not Disturb While Driving enabled on your phone, that call goes straight to voice mail. If someone tries to text you, the text is blocked, and that person receives a message saying that you're driving with Do Not Disturb While Driving turned on and you'll see the message when you get where you're going.

If necessary, that person can send a text with the word "Urgent," which then allows the original message to get through. Other types of notifications, such as FaceTime calls, tweets, and other types of messages and communications, also are blocked.

You'll still receive emergency alerts, timers, and alarms. And if you use a navigation app such as Apple Maps or Google Maps, your phone will still display lock-screen navigation help and turn-by-turn directions as well as the usual spoken instructions to help you get where you're going.

6
Fine-Tuning

Return to the Do Not Disturb While Driving screen under Settings. You can now fine-tune the feature. Tap on the entry to Allow Calls From and choose to receive calls from everyone, no one, favorites, or all contacts. Go back and turn on the setting for Repeated Calls if you wish to receive a second call from the same person within three minutes of the first call. Swipe down to the bottom of the screen. Tap on the entry for Auto-Reply To and specify who should receive an auto-reply—no one, recent callers, favorites, or all contacts. Finally, tap on the entry for Auto-Reply. You can now tweak the auto-reply message.

7
Sorry, Kids

Are you the parent of a young driver concerned about your child's driving habits? You can prevent your child from making any changes to the Do Not Disturb While Driving feature. On your child's iPhone, go to Settings > General > Restrictions. Tap on Enable Restrictions if no restrictions are currently in place. Enter and then re-enter a passcode. Swipe down to the section for Allow Changes. and tap on the entry for Do Not Disturb While Driving. Then turn on the setting for Don't Allow Changes. Now your child can't change the settings for this feature without the passcode.

8
How to Turn Off or Customize Notifications in iOS

About the Author

Surviving a long and varied career in publishing, advertising, and IT, Lance Whitney now wears a few different technology hats. By day, he's a journalist, software trainer, and sometime Web developer. By night, he's asleep. These days, he writes news stories, columns, and reviews for CNET and other technology sites and publications. He's written tw... See Full Bio

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